List the objectives of an ISM Internal Audit of a ship? How does an Internal Audit help in External Audit of a vessel? Name the salient issues addressed in the Internal Audit and the persons responsible to carry out the same.

Objectives of an ISM internal audit of a ship:

• To verify that the Safety Management System (SMS) is being implemented and operated effectively on board.
• To verify that the ship's activities comply with the ISM Code and the company's SMS procedures.
• To identify non-conformities, deficiencies and areas for improvement.
• To verify that the safety and environmental-protection objectives are being met.
• To assess the effectiveness of the corrective and preventive actions taken.
• To provide information for the management review and to support continual improvement.
• To prepare the ship for the external (statutory) audit by the flag/RO.

How an internal audit helps in the external audit:

• It identifies and corrects non-conformities and deficiencies before the external audit, so the ship is in a better state of compliance.
• It verifies that the SMS is actually implemented (records, drills, maintenance, procedures), which is what the external auditor checks.
• It provides evidence of the ship's compliance and the effectiveness of the SMS, and demonstrates the company's commitment to the ISM.
• It allows the crew to be familiar with the audit process and to be prepared to answer the auditor's questions.
• It reduces the risk of major non-conformities being found at the external audit (which could lead to the SMC being withdrawn).

Salient issues addressed in the internal audit:

• The implementation of the SMS procedures (safety policy, emergency procedures, drills, maintenance, reporting).
• The records: logbooks, maintenance records, drill records, near-miss/incident reports, non-conformity reports and their corrective actions.
• The familiarisation and training of the crew, and their competence (STCW).
• The condition and readiness of the safety, firefighting, lifesaving and pollution-prevention equipment.
• The compliance with the statutory requirements and the certificates.
• The communication between the ship and the company (DPA), and the reporting of accidents/non-conformities.
• The risk assessments and the critical operations.
• The master's review and the management review.

Persons responsible to carry out the internal audit:

• The internal audit is carried out by the company's internal auditors (trained and qualified personnel, independent of the area being audited), as required by the ISM Code (Section 12). On board, the audit may be led by a company-appointed internal auditor (e.g. a superintendent or a qualified auditor from the shore staff), with the participation of the ship's officers (the master, chief engineer, and the responsible officers). The internal auditor must be independent of the activity being audited and must be competent in the ISM and auditing techniques. The audit is planned and the results are reported to the company for the management review.